


Hale's Dairy and Berry

by GeeGollyWiz13



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek owns a Dairy/Berry Farm, F/M, Fluff, M/M, OOC Characters (For all you sticklers out there ;)), Others added by request, Roadtrips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 00:56:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2046969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeeGollyWiz13/pseuds/GeeGollyWiz13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles and Scott decide they need to get away for the weekend. Where the end up, a dairy and berry farm in the middle of god knows where, seems like the perfect place to spend the weekend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hale's Dairy and Berry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kawaiicoyote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaiicoyote/gifts).



> HOLY SHIT WHO SAW THIS HAPPENING? No one. Absolutely no one. I suck. Uhm- SO I GRADUATED! Which explains why I never write anymore. But yeah! Now that I am a shitty adult, I apparently have time in between crying and drinking. Alright! So, lemme just say- holy fuck this took forever. Also, bring on the heat man, I know it sucks. Unbeta'd and all that good jazz. Well..... somewhat beta'd by KawaiiCoyote- but she reads everything first anyway!

                “Scott! Seriously, I am so bored. It’s actually killing me. Killing me, I tell you!” Stiles shouts as he flops onto his dorm room bed. Scott snorts from across the room, reading a biology textbook on his bed.  The room is small, but comfortable. The boys had decorated it like every other college boy would- with posters, messy sheets, and heaps of papers and clothes littered about.

                “Have you played video games?” Scott asked. Stiles rolled his eyes and rolled over on the bed.

                “Have I? Dude, I played all last night. I also finished that essay that’s due next week and I rearranged all of our DVDs in alphabetical order. Okay? I am pretty fucking bored.”

                Scott looks up from his book, and over at the DVD shelf. The titles are perfectly categorized, just as Stiles described. He lets out a sigh.

                “Dude, how much Adderall have you had today?”

                “Enough! Just, why don’t we take a road trip Scotty. Get us out of here for a bit! It’s a long weekend, we can just go! Drive a few hours! Please?” Stiles suggests. Scott knows how much Stiles has been wanting to get off their college campus ever since he’d been rejected by a very attractive male in one of his classes for a coffee date. Ever since then, Scott has thought that Stiles has been acting like a caged animal, clawing at the bars to get out.

                “Well, it is a long weekend, and we don’t have classes until Monday afternoon. I guess we could go driving. Okay, tomorrow, we can hit the road early. It’s the first day of the break, and we can get out without too much traffic. Pack a suitcase?” Scott asked, and looked back down at his book.

                He hears Stiles get off of his bed, and pull his cheap campus closet doors open.  He hears shuffling, and then Stiles’ drawers open up. When Scott looks up again, Stiles is packing a duffle bag. He’s got outfits laid out, and two pairs of his converse. Shaking his head, Scott saves his page, and gets up off the bed.

                “You really want to get out of here.” Scott says, more than asks, because he doesn’t have to ask Stiles to know how the guy is feeling.

                “Scott, I have been going out of my skin. I need to go somewhere. I need to feel free and just- not think about people here on campus, or class, or anything.” Stiles frowns, and folds another shirt into his duffle bag.

                “I get you, Stiles, I do. Are you sure this isn’t about how you saw Nick with another guy yesterday?”

                Stiles places a pair of jeans into his bag a little forcefully.

                “Thank you, Scott. Wow. Wonderful insight.” Stiles mumbles, and moves away to grab a few pairs of socks to pack away.

                “You know I didn’t mean it like that, Stiles. I just hate seeing you upset over some guy. You deserve more than that! Nick is a douche anyway. I saw him berating the old ladies at the coffee shop the other day for adding a bit too much milk to his coffee. He’s kind of a dick, you know?” Scott pouts.

                “Yeah. I know. But c’mon dude. You have girls falling all over you here. I mean, there was, Allison, Jess, Catherine, Stephanie, Jennifer- okay? You have tons of girls after you. I can’t even get a fucking study group to meet on the regular!” Stiles flails.

                Smiling, Scott nudges his best friend.

                “Okay. Then this break is all about you. How about we leave tonight? We can just head out, hit the road. Instead of leaving tomorrow, we leave tonight. You don’t have any more classes, and I just have one test to take. I’ll be out by four. We can hit the road by four thirty!”

                Stiles gives Scott a long look, like he’s searching for a lie. But then seems content, looking away after a few seconds. He huffs, and throws his last few shirts in the bag. Grabbing his wallet, he checks his money, cards, ID, and the condom that he’d gotten free from health class. Stuffing it into his back pocket, Stiles nods.

                “Fine. We leave at four thirty. I’m going to pack this into the Jeep, then I’m going to hit the diner in town, get some dinner before we hit the road. I’ll grab you something for when you get back.” Stiles concedes, and grabs his room key.

                “Sounds like a plan, bro.” Scott smiles, and grabs his text book off his bed.

                “Yeah, yeah. Go ace that test, Scott.” Stiles waves off, smiling.

 

 

                When Scott gets out of his test, he checks his phone. There were no texts from Stiles, so Scott knew that Stiles at least didn’t leave without him in a hurry to get off of campus. He walked back to the dorm, Stiles’ blue jeep sitting right outside.  Trotting his way up the stairs, he could feel himself getting excited. He hadn’t had a good trip with Stiles since the time they decided to sneak out when they were 16. They’d been caught by Stiles’ father when they reached the state line, and had to sit in the back of the Sheriff’s car the whole ride back.

                Smiling at the memory, Scott opened the door to his room. Stiles was laying on his own bed on his phone, frowning at something. Scott could have guessed it was Nick’s facebook profile or twitter. Nick had strung Stiles on in the worst way possible- acting friendly towards him, flirty even, and then rejecting him as soon as Stiles gave him the opportunity.

                “Hey!” Stiles yelped as Scott plucked the phone from his hands, and shoving it into his pocket.

“No way, dude. This weekend is about me and you, and not about sulking over some idiot’s profile picture. We are doing this the right way. We got this!” Scott said, and Stiles hung his head slightly.

                “Yeah, I know, but-“

                “No buts. I’m serious, Stiles. We are finding you a guy, even if it’s just a one night stand to help you get over Nick. Now, help me pack my shit so we can get out of here!”

                Stiles was up in a hot second, rushing to Scott’s dresser as Scott pulled out shirts from his closet. They flung clothes onto the bed, and Scott started to fold them so that they’d all fit inside the duffle. He packed some cologne, his toiletries, and a whole pack of condoms. They weren’t really for him, but he needed them just in case Stiles actually happened to get lucky and the one that Stiles kept in his wallet broke or used. Smiling, he stuffed the packets beneath a shirt while Stiles was looking away, grabbing socks for Scott to pack up.

                “So, are you ready?” Scott asked Stiles, who handed him the socks. Scott zipped up his duffle, and looked at Stiles for his reply. The boy’s face was enough to know that this trip was needed. He looked tired, exhausted even. He looked worn in a way that Scott hadn’t seen him in years. Smiling, he pulled Stiles into a hug, and the boy let out a shuttering breath.

                “Dude, I am so ready.” He replied finally.

                Scott let go, and clapped Stiles on the shoulder. Then, he pulled the duffle off the bag, and they both grabbed their keys to the room. They locked the door behind them, and without another glance back, packed Scott’s duffle into the Jeep, and started it up.

                “To adventures?” Scott asked, turning up the radio full blast.

                “To adventures!” Stiles yelled over top the music, and let out a loud whoop.

                They peeled out of the school parking lot, the Jeep flying down the road. The college campus became smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Laughing, both boys felt the stress melt away, a feeling of freedom taking its place.

                 About three hours into their drive- a drive into the middle of nowhere, the boys turned onto a dirt road. It had begun to get dark, but Stiles just turned on the high beams, doubtful that anyone else would be on the road. It was quiet, and Scott turned the music off as they turned, just to hear the crunch of the rocks and dirt under the tires. There was nothing but the light of the moon and the headlights to guide them down the road.

                “Dude, it’s nice out here. But uh, I think we forgot something.” Scott mumbled, smiling over at Stiles.

                “Yeah?”

                “Well, we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere. Where are we going to stay for the night?”

                Stiles slowed the car down to a stop. He buried his head in his hands. For a second, Scott thought he might be crying, until he noticed that Stiles’ shoulders were shaking. Stiles was laughing.

                “Scott! How the hell did we forget that! Fuck, we are so screwed! If we slept under the stars, do you think we stand a pretty good chance of not getting eaten by a bear or something?” Stiles asked, snorting. Scott chuckled a little bit, and soon, both of the boys were laughing hysterically.

                “God, we are so stupid.” Stiles mumbled, gripping the steering wheel tight. Scott nodded, and the two boys sat in the darkness, the engine of the Jeep idling.

                “So what should we do?” Scott asked.

                The boys sat there a moment in silence. They’d been so caught up in their freedom via impromptu roadtrip that they forgot they’d have to actually stop at some point during the night for a hotel room.

                “Well, we could always back track it? Head back out on the highway, take the next exit we find? We could sleep here in the Jeep. Or, we could sleep under the stars and become bear food. I mean, that is the less preferable choice, but hey, we can roll with it.”

                “Maybe we could just head down this road? Maybe it leads to some tiny town with an Inn or something.” Scott mused.

                “Yeah, and get eaten by zombies? Or get killed by some crazy serial killer on the way there Scott? I don’t know.”

                “Yeah, but Stiles, it’s at least fifty miles back to the highway. We’d lose a lot of gas.” Scott pointed out, and Stiles sighed.

                Stiles let out a frustrated sigh, and chuckled. Of course they’d get themselves into this situation. It was exactly like the time they’d taken the joyride. Only now his dad wasn’t here to take them back home. They were out on their own. Stiles shook his head, and eased up on the break.

                “Alright. I’m going to trust you this time, buddy. We’ll keep going. But I swear to god, if some sort of backwoods killer finds us, I am tripping you!” Stiles says, and Scott gapes at him.

                “You wouldn’t! Besides, everyone knows that I’m a faster runner.”

                “Yeah, but everyone knows that I’m more clever, and can find better places to hide so I can save my energy.” Stiles retorts, and the two boys end up laughing again.

                The road seems to go on forever. To Scott, the trees all seem to blend together, and the meadows that he can see between them seem to go on for miles. They really are in the country. There isn’t anything for miles around that he can see, but then again, it’s all woods and meadows and nothing else.

                About a half an hour later, Stiles slows the car.

                “Scott. Scott! Do you see that up ahead?”” Stiles asks, squinting into the darkness. Scott peered out the window, and sure enough, two pinpricks of light stood out in the darkness of the road.

                “What do you think they are? Road flares?” Scott asked, and Stiles shook his head.

                “Possibly? Or maybe the murder is up there waiting for unsuspecting travelers such as ourselves to come so he can skin us alive.”

                “Dude. You have got to stop watching those crime shows with your dad.” Scott scoffs, and Stiles shakes his head.

                “We should go see what it is. What if it’s some hot guy who needs to hitchhike, Stiles? I have no problems if you need me to leave the Jeep for a while if it is.” Scott laughs, and Stiles punches him in the arm.

                “We’re going to go see. But this is all on you dude. All on you.”

                About two minutes later, they can make out the light better- road flares. They can even make out the shape of a car, a sleek black Camaro. Outside, leaning against the driver’s side is a figure. They slow about twenty feet away. The figure turns, and the boys can tell that it’s a woman.

                “Hey. You need help?” Scott calls out the window.

                “What’s it to you?” She calls back, and Stiles snorts. The woman pushes off the car, and walks up to the Jeep.  In the light, they can see her clearly. She’s wearing short jean shorts, and her long tan legs seem a mile long. She’s wearing work boots, clearly scuffed and used. A dirty white tank top does nothing to hide her bright red bra underneath, and her hair is pulled up in a messy ponytail.

                “Uhm. Sorry, we were just coming down the road. Thought you might have broken down.” Scott mumbled, as she approached the passenger’s side door. Leaning against it, she huffs.

                “Yeah. I broke down about two hours ago. I was hoping one of my friends would get some sense to come looking for me, but not yet.”

                “How far away are they?” Scott asks, and the girl wrinkles her nose.

                “About forty five minutes? I was coming back from town. My brother needed a part for something, and I volunteered to get it. Plus, my phone is dead, so I couldn’t call them. But, it looks like you two gents are just in time.”

                “We can let you use our phone, if you’d like. We were just looking for a place to stay the night. We can help you out if you can give us directions.” Stiles pipes up. The girl turns her eyes to him, and smiles.

                “How about I do you one better. Let me borrow your phone, hitch me a ride back, and you can stay with us for the night. It’s dark, and I would hate for you two to be out when the deer are running. It’s like a trade.” The girl says, and Scott looks at Stiles who just shrugs.

                “We do need a place to stay, Scott.”

                “Weren’t you the one going off about serial killers?” Scott snorted, and handed the girl his phone.

                “Scott! Shut up!” Stiles hisses as the girl dials a number, licking her lips before holding it up to her ear.

                “Hey, baby bro it’s – No! Calm down, Derek. Ugh. No, I broke down like forty five minutes away. Why didn’t you send anyone? My phone is dead.” The girl shakes her head and scuffs her boot on the dirt road. “I’m calling from some guys phone- no he’s not a creep. He kinda looks like a puppy. No Derek. I can get a ride from them, no need to saddle up. I’m serious.”

                The boys listen in on the conversation, and Stiles seems to be more interested by the second. By the time Laura hangs up, he’s practically leaning over Scott to listen out the window.

                “Well boys, my brother kindly sends his regards. If you can just let me grab my stuff from the trunk, I can get you guys on your way to a warm bed!” The girl laughs, and hands Scott his phone back. She heads back to the car, locking it up and grabbing a small shopping bag from the trunk.

                Scott slides out of the Jeep, opening up the door for the stranger. She smiles at him, and Scott feels his cheeks burning up.

                “You guys are such dolls. I’m very grateful for this. I would have hated sleeping in that backseat, and my brother was really worried. He’s like that.” The girl says, and then gasps. “Oh! I completely forgot to introduce myself! I’m Laura, Laura Hale.” She takes Scott’s hand, and shakes it. Then she holds her hand out for Stiles to shake. He gives her a small shake, his hand back on the wheel in a second.

                “So where were you boys off to, on a road like this? You weren’t looking for our farm this late at night, were you?” Laura asks, and Scott looks over at her.

                “You guys live on a farm?” He asks, and Laura nods.

                “Hale Berry and Dairy. We grow a lot of blueberries and blackberries. We even do cherries. Plus we have cows, both dairy and meat, chickens- which means fresh eggs for breakfast tomorrow- and two pigs. We allow picking this time of the year. People come from the city to get a nice taste of all the fresh stuff. You know? It earns us a decent living.” Laura explains.

                “Yeah, nice enough to own a car like that!” Stiles whistles.

                “It was actually my parent’s car. They left it to us in their will.”

                “We’re sorry.” Scott says, and Laura shakes her head.

                “Not at all. They died young, but don’t all the good, right? It was a car accident. They were on their way to a fair with our best cow that year. Tractor trailer, those son of a bitches, came right out from the ramp onto the highway going mach five and slammed them. They were dead before the police could even call me or Derek. It was horrible, and Derek really got bent out of shape for a while. But he’s slowly bouncing back. He’s our little broody bird.”

                “Are there more than the two of you on the farm?” Stiles asks, changing the subject.

                “Oh! Yeah, there are farm hands. We have Jackson and Lydia, a pair from the city who liked it out here so much, they decided they’d stay. You should have seen them when they first came up. Doll was wearing heels, sank right down into the mud. Her boyfriend too, so afraid to get his Armani shoes dirty. Now they’re regular folks like us. There’s Erica, Boyd, and Isaac. We hired them right out of school. There is a school here, you know, a bit ways past us. They were all adopted, and liked to work for us especially during picking season. They’ve been with us a while. Then it’s me, my brother Derek, and our little sister Cora.”

                “Sounds like a good group of people.” Scott smiles. Laura chuckles at him.

                “Boy, we’re a family! We stick together, hell, like a pack of wolves. I couldn’t have asked for a better family.” Laura sighs, a smile on her face.

                “Now, is it just straight on this road, or do we have to turn anywhere?” Stiles asked.

                “Oh, you can’t miss the sign for us. It’s right in front of the road to our place. You’ll know it when you see it.” Laura replied, and stretched her legs out as much as she could in the seat. She curled her arms around the back of the seat, and Scott blushed in the dark.

                True enough, about forty five minutes later, Stiles pulls up to a large sign. It’s kind of weathered, the paint peeling a bit, but looked as though someone had tried to repaint it a few times.

                “Ah! Home sweet home! Okay boys, let’s get this show on the road.” Laura cheered, and Stiles smiled next to her.

                The road was long, but well taken care of. It wasn’t overgrown or particularly rocky. The trees themselves even seemed to be perfectly manicured in a wild way, growing haphazardly, yet never into the road.

                “Derek takes good care of the grounds with Boyd. They can do their broody silent thing together.” Laura remarks when Stiles mentions this to her.

                “Derek sounds like he just needs a friend.” Scott mumbles, and Laura snorts.

                “You have no idea. The guy hasn’t even had a girl friend since high school. He’s kind of pathetically shy, and shows his emotions through being a broody, emotional, loser.” Laura laughs, and Scott chuckles.

                “Like, he writes emo poetry?”

                “Even better! Me, Erica, and Lydia made him a dating profile once. His hobbies included brooding, eating, and growing vegetables so that his significant other would never go hungry again. He found it and flipped out. Although some girls did try and message him for hookups. He didn’t talk to us for a week straight.” Laura joked, but Stiles frowned from the driver’s seat.

                “Why would you do that? If he’s shy, he could be really upset by stuff like that. Right Scott?” Stiles huffed out, and Scott let out a breathy laugh.

                “Stiles is just mad because I made him a fake profile once in high school. It was actually really funny until some of the guys started sending dick pics. Yeah- never again.” Scott laughed, and Stiles grumbled.

                “So, you go both ways, or you a strict one side of the fence guy?” Laura asked, and then gave Stiles a double take. “And what the hell is a Stiles?”

                “It’s a nickname okay? People need to realize that people have them. And I’m not sure. I mean, I like guys, but I can appreciate a girl’s beauty as much as the next guy.”

                Laura goes silent, and Scott almost wished he could see the gears whirring in her head. 

                But all conversation is forgotten when Stiles finally pulls up in front of a huge house, white and country enough to look like it would be on the cover of some farming architecture magazine. Around it, there are smaller buildings, which no doubt housed the livestock Laura had spoken about. Acres of farm land could be seen, and Stiles could just make out rows upon rows of small looking trees in the moonlight.

                “Laura!” The shouts come as soon as Stiles kills the engine. He hops out of the Jeep to make room for Laura to get out, and when she does, she’s tackled by two girls that look about Stiles and Scott’s age. The one has bright red hair, and the other has a beautiful blonde. Both girls are dressed in a way that is similar to Laura.

                “We were so worried! And then when Derek told us you’d gotten picked up by two guys, we weren’t even sure you’d be back at all!” The red head speaks, and Stiles acts affronted.

                “But no worries. By the looks of these guys, I would say you’d have no problem protecting your lady virtue.” The blonde smirks, and Stiles cannot help but blush at the sinister and seductive smile she gives him.

                “Erica- stop it. And I’m fine Lydia. There’s no need to worry. These guys need a place to spend the night. They got me home safe. I think it would be a kind gesture to let them stay the night.” Laura waves them off.

                “Yeah, if Derek doesn’t break their legs first. Or their arms. Or their faces.” Erica, the blonde, smirks again, this time at Scott, who visibly pales.

                Lydia huffs, and grabs Laura by the arm. She starts to drag the girl away when a shot is heard in the air.

                “Derek!” Laura yells, obviously embarrassed and angry.

                “Actually, that was Isaac! So fuck you, Laura.” A deep and sultry voice comes from the porch, and Laura shakes her head.

                In the light of the porch, Stiles can see four guys standing on the steps. The red head walks up to a blond haired one, hugging him before heading into the house. Next to him is a large black man, who Stiles is sure could snap him in half, and almost forgets not to drool over his muscle definition. The blonde, Erica, skips up to him, and whispers something in his ear that makes the man crack a smile- small, yet beautiful. The one with the gun in his hand is dirty blond, curls atop his head, and a frown on his face.  He’s staring at them as though he wishes that bullet wasn’t just a warning shot. For a moment, Stiles almost thinks that that is Derek, until his eyes land on the fucking god next to curly top. While not as built as the dark skinned man, this guy has some serious muscles, obviously from working on a farm all day. He’s got dark hair and eyes, and stubble that has Stiles’ knees going just a tad weak from even looking at it.

                All of the boys are dressed in jeans, stained and probably dirty from the day’s work if the way they look so worn from far away are any give away. They’re all in tee shirts in various states of wear and tear.

                “So, boys. If you could remember your lovely manners for a few seconds, I would like you to introduce you to our guests for the night. Scott and Stiles…” Laura looks back at the boys for confirmation, who nod quickly. “They were kind enough to bring me home, and so I think we can spare a meal and a room for the night, right?”

                “Laura! We don’t even know these guys!” The one with the gun, presumably Isaac, says, but the blonde boy snorts.

                “Yeah, and you didn’t know Lydia or me either, yet we’ve been here how long?”

                “Jackson, you and Lydia don’t count.” Isaac replied, and Jackson rolls his eyes.

                “Listen!” Scott speaks up, and Stiles shakes his head, like he knows that was a wrong move. “We promise we’re not creepy or anything. We just set out to head nowhere tonight and forgot to pull over for a hotel. We found Laura, and she offered. If not, we can find something else.”

                “Derek, you’re not really going to send them away, are you?” Erica pipes up from where Boyd has his arm slung around her waist.

                The dark haired man scratches at his face, sighing. He looks as though he’s torn between walking back into the house and braining himself on the pillar next to him. Laura pouts her lips a bit, and Erica bites her lip. Isaac gives him a look and then makes an exasperated noise.

                “Derek! You cannot be serious! These two guys just picked your sister up in the middle of a dark road! They could be anyone.” Isaac hissed, but Derek waved him off.

                “They’re also the guys that brought Laura home instead of kidnapping her or leaving her on that road. I say we can at least treat them to a meal. See where they land, you know? How they act. I think they look innocent enough.” Derek replies, and Isaac groans.

                “Fine! But I am keeping my eyes on you two. One wrong move, and you better be prepared to beg for mercy.” Isaac says to the boys, and walks into the house. Jackson and the dark skinned man, later identified as Boyd, follow him along with Erica. Laura looks back at them, and gives them a thumbs up.  Derek walks off the porch, and Stiles cannot help by be memorized by the way he strolls lazily out to where Laura is. In the moonlight, Laura can tell he’s blushing.

                “You okay, baby bro?” She teases lightly. She knows that Derek has trouble speaking to people he’s never met. She also knows that the types of boys she’s seen in Derek’s deeply hidden porn folder on his laptop (that she so conveniently hacked) is full of boys that have the same build as Stiles.

                “Fine. Thanks for bringing Laura home.” Derek said tersely, and then he turned on his heel, and walked back to the house.

                “Wow. Great conversationalist.” Stiles muttered, and Scott sighed.

                “Thank you, Laura. We owe you so much.” Scott said, and Laura waved him off.

                “No way. You brought me home. Now, why don’t we head inside? Derek made supper  tonight, and it’s probably going to the best thing you two ever tasted. Now, c’mon in.” Laura said, leading both boys across the lawn and into the large house.

                Inside, the air was nice and warm. It wasn’t decorated like a mansion, but instead was homely, comfortable, and what could only be described as “lived in”. In the living room, the carpet was worn down in the major walking areas, and the wooden floor beneath their floor creaked under their weight. Their kitchen wasn’t spotless, but that was most likely the result of a dinner began yet somewhat forgotten in their haste to locate Laura.

                “Fried Chicken and Derek’s garlic mashed. They will melt in your pretty mouth.” Erica winked at Stiles, and he choked on air. “Plus for dessert, Lydia made a nice chocolate cream pie. Worth just about your weight in gold.”

                “Thank you guys!” Scott smiled, and sat down at the scuffed up dining room table that stood in a small alcove beside the kitchen.

                “Not a problem, darling. Now- where you two from?” Erica sat down across from him, motioning Stiles to sit as well.

                “Well, we’re from a college that’s about a few hours from here. We have a long weekend, and we decided to just drive wherever the road took us. Except we didn’t even think about where we might sleep or even eat. We didn’t really think this through.” Scott replied.

                “How ‘On the Road’ of you.” Lydia piped up, and Stiles smiled wide.

                “Ah! An educated woman!” Stiles remarked, and Lydia shot him a look.

                “Lydia’s actually somewhat of a genius.” Laura smiled. Then she looked around, frowning.

                “Derek?”

                From the kitchen, Stiles hears a sigh, and Derek walks out- no, saunters- to the opening of the alcove.   “Yes, Laura?”

                “Where’s Cora?”

                Derek scratches at his stubble again, and Stiles is glad he’s sitting down for that. He gives Scott and Stiles a bit of a glare, and looks back to Laura.

                “She’s out in the barn with the cows. You know how she gets when something happens. When you didn’t get home…well, you know. She’s been out there for an hour.”

                Laura got up from the table immediately, not even saying a word. She rushed out the front door, probably to comfort her sister and let her know that she was fine. Now Stiles and Scott were alone with the group.

                “So, you guys got any juice?” Jackson asked, and Scott frowned.

                “Juice?” Scott replied, and Jackson just rolled his eyes.

                “Yeah, juice.”

                “Well, me and Stiles didn’t bring any snacks with us, but-“

                Erica snorted. She waves her hand in front of Jackson’s face. “He means alcohol. Juice, something nice to sip on. Anyway, are you guys potheads? Crack addicts? What’s your deal?”

                Scott blushes at his own blunder, and Stiles sighs, shaking his head.

                “Listen, we really are just college kids. We don’t have any alcohol or drugs. We just wanted to get away from campus, away from classes and stuff, and we just started driving.”

                “So you were running away?” Lydia chimed in, and Scott nodded quickly.

                “Absolutely. Classes can be rough, and we were running as far away from them as possible. Besides, dorms can be so loud and cramped. If I had to listen to another girl screwing her boyfriend through the wall one more time I was going to flip out. Besides, what’s wrong with wanting a little change of scenery? And Laura said that you guys offer picking and stuff, since you guys sell some berries. Before we go tomorrow, we can always do that, right? Fresh fruit is a hot commodity when all you eat is processed garbage.” Scott explained.

                Derek set down two steaming hot plates in front of the boys, and Stiles had to clap his hand over his mouth to hide the moan escaping up his throat. The chicken was fried a bright golden color, and Stiles thought it looked like the most beautiful chicken he’d ever seen in his life. The potatoes were fluffy looking, flecks of garlic and what looked like parsley mashed in. Stiles grabbed his fork, and plunged in, looking over at Scott who had picked the chicken up with both hands, forgoing the fork.

                “Oh my god!” Scott cried out, swallowing down a large bite. “This is literally the best chicken I have ever tasted in my life.”

                Stiles silently had to agree. His mashed were already half gone, and his chicken hardly touched. He picked up the piece, forgoing the fork like Scott had and digging in. It was crunchy, juicy, and even a tad greasy, but not enough to be horrible. Together, the meal was hearty, filling, and totally sleep inducing.

                By the time the boys finished, they were exhausted. Stiles patted his stomach, making sure to scrape every last bit of potatoes off his plate while Scott practically ate the bones of the chicken to scarf the last meat off of them. Then, then came the golden treat. Lydia, smiling widely, set down two giant pieces of chocolate cream pie in front of them topped with the most beautiful homemade whipped cream they boys had ever known to be made.

                “I think I’m in love.” Stiles mumbled, grabbing his fork and digging in. Lydia clicked her tongue as Jackson let out a grunt.

                “Sorry, darling. Already taken. But I appreciate the compliment.”

                “Now, as soon as you’re done eating, we can get you boys to your room. Hope you two don’t mind sharing a bed. We’re all a big family, so we didn’t think about getting separate beds.” Derek said from the kitchen, and for a fleeting moment, Stiles thought about what it would be like to share a bed with Derek after a long day of working, those muscles….

                “Not a problem! Me and Stiles go way back, we’re practically brothers!” Scott piped up, and Stiles rolled his eyes good naturedly.

                “It’s very nice of you to let us stay. I know you don’t really want us to.” Stiles said, and Derek gave him a glare.

                “I don’t trust hardly anyone. You think you can trust people and then you can’t, you got that? Would you trust some random guys who picked up your sister on the side of the road? No. I highly doubt it. Not everyone is good in this world. The sooner you learn that the better.” Derek snapped, and threw the dishtowel he was holding on the counter. As he stormed out, everyone in the room was silent, nothing to hear but the slam of the screen door, and Derek stomping down the porch steps.

                “Woah…” Stiles began, and Scott shook his head.

                “Sorry…about him. He doesn’t really trust people. His girlfriend in high school was a total devil. Tried to burn the farm down. She was a bit of a nut. Then of course, you can never trust anyone driving. Derek just saddles up anymore. He feels like a horse he can control better is more trust worthy. And then you two come along, well, he’s surely had it up to here” Erica puts her hand above her head, “with things going unplanned.”

                Scott nodded, and Stiles swallowed. He wanted to go out the door and find Derek, comfort him or something. But Scott nudged him, and he was brought back into reality instead of what exactly he might do if he actually found Derek in the dark.

                “Well, we’re exhausted, and we would hate to be a burden any longer. We can just wash up these dishes for you and head to bed. We drove a while, and I feel like I am going to pass out once my head hits the pillow.” Scott smiled, and Lydia waved him off.

                “Nonsense, you are our guests. Isaac will show you to your room. Have a good night boys, see you bright and early tomorrow morning!” Erica and Lydia shared a knowing smile.

                The boys hoisted their bags onto their shoulders, and headed up the old stairs up to the second floor. They were a bit sagged, the years of wear and tear on them showing their age. The hallway was a bit plain, but it was the pictures that caught Stiles’ attention. There was a framed photo of a large family: young and old. It seemed that it went parents in the back, children in the front. Stiles stopped for a second to look at it. They were all dark haired but one, standing next to handsome man in the back, clearly pregnant.

                “Derek catches you looking at that, he might just punch you.” Isaac commented, and Stiles turned away quickly.

                “The woman? His Uncles’ wife. They live two hours away now. She got sick, decided that the farm life wasn’t for them after the kid was born. He’s about six now. Those two?” Isaac walked up to Stiles, and pointed in the picture, behind a young looking Laura and Derek.

                “Those are his folks. Good people they were. His mom taught Derek everything he knows in the kitchen. Dad worked well with the horses. Course it was always Uncle Peter who was best at milking the cows. We have the machinery of course, but Peter always liked doing it by hand. Taught the kids to do it the same way.” Isaac smiled a bit fondly, the first kind expression Stiles had seen him wear.

                “Now, quit looking around at shit. This is your room here. Don’t even think about leaving until tomorrow morning. There’s an en suite bathroom. So you won’t have to get up for anything. Just so you know, I’ll be watching you. I don’t like strangers, and you two especially. Who the hell just leaves with nowhere to go?” Isaac asked, and opened the door.  The room was decorated modestly, warm colors and dark woods.

                The door slammed shut behind them, and Scott jumped at the noise, while Stiles just rolled his eyes. “Dude, are you sure you want to stay here? I’m sure the Jeep has enough gas to get us somewhere.” Stiles asked, but Scott just shook his head.

                “And have to pay for a hotel? Dude, we just got a hot meal and a free room. I mean, not to say it’s totally free or anything, I do feel like we owe them, but this is huge! And we’re out of the dorm.  What more could you want?” Scott asked, and smiled at the large bed in the room.  “Dude, that looks so comfy compared to our crappy extra-long twins at home.”

                “I guess you’re right. This is what we needed. We’re out, about, and this is totally something new! We can handle this.” Stiles agreed, and walked over, flinging himself onto the bed. Scott followed suit.

                “God, it feels like this was made of like, clouds or something.” Scott groans into the pillows, as Stiles kicks his shoes off the edge of the bed, snuggling up to the quilt on the bed.

                “Scott, go turn off the light. Scott?” Stiles nudges the boy next to him, but he doesn’t even budge. He lets out a loud snore instead, and Stiles huffs. Climbing over him, Stiles goes and turns off the light in the room. The pale moon light shines through the window, but it’s not bright enough to keep Stiles up or anything. Making his way back to the bed, he climbs back in gingerly, so he doesn’t wake Scott up.  Snuggling under the quilt and warm blankets on the bed, Stiles quickly falls asleep.

                He dreams of strong, calloused hands and a broody mouth.

                “Wake up, boys! It’s breakfast time!” The knocking is incredibly loud, and Scott and Stiles jump out of the sleep. The knocking continues for a few more seconds, followed by a loud bang on the door. By that time, the boys are up, rummaging around their bags for fresh clothes. Stiles quickly rushes into the bathroom to at least try and clean himself up. Not showering in the morning always makes him feel a little weird. He immerges as best as he can do, and Scott is already dressed, putting on his shoes.

                “What time is it?” Stiles asks, and Scott gives him a glare.

                “It’s 5:30 am Stiles. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been up at 5:30?” Scott replies. Scott never does well in the morning, especially early morning. He becomes more human around his second cup of coffee.

                “Ugh, are they serious? Is this a joke?” Stiles asks, getting dressed, and quickly putting on his shoes.

                When they head down to breakfast, Laura looks over the paper at them from the head of the table. “Hey, boys! You sleep well?” She asks, like it isn’t before 8 in the morning and they slept a full night.

                “Why are we up so early?” Scott asks, and Erica snorts around a bit of pancake two seats down at the table.

                “Early? We let you boys sleep in! Derek, Jackson, Isaac, and Boyd are already out milking the cows. We thought we’d wake you before we go collect the eggs and start mucking out the stables. Everyone around here has a busy day before the people start coming here for picking.” Lydia replies to Scott after taking a sip of coffee.

                “Breakfast is in the kitchen, help yourselves.” Laura says, and Scott practically runs into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee and get something to eat.

                “Uh.. do you think maybe we could help out today? As payment for letting us sleep here last night and giving us a meal.” Stiles asks. Ever since he was little before his mom passed, she’d always told him that polite guests offer, and do not idly sit by getting waited on.

                “Aw, Stiles! Thank you. I’m sure Derek will have some work for you or Scott to do. I can ask him when he comes back in.” Laura replies, and shoos him off to eat.

                After grabbing their plates, the boys sit down with the girls eating their breakfast. The screen door opens, and a young girl who looks a lot like Laura comes walking into the dining room.

                “Laura, Derek said you should probably get on those eggs soon. He doesn’t want them hens to get agitated. You know how he is about them.”

                “Thanks, Cora. Hey, these two here are Scott and Stiles. They brought me home last night. Say they want to help out. You mind telling Derek? I can send them out after they finish eating.” Laura replies, and Cora smiles at them, as though they’re about to meet their worst nightmare or something. In fact, Cora is a little scary. While Laura seems nice and gentle, Cora seems like Derek in her mannerisms. She also, while small, looks like she could lift a lot of weight.

                “Sure thing. I’m sure Derek will love it!” Cora says, and snatches a piece of pancake off of Erica’s plate. She looks smug, and Erica snarls playfully at her.  She heads out the door, and Stiles takes a bite out of some eggs. They taste different, but better in a way. Probably because they’re somewhat fresh.

                “Now, I should go see if Isaac is going to need any help in the orchard today. Lord knows that boy can spend hours out there by himself. But maybe one of you would like to join?” Laura gets up, looking hopeful. Scott blushes, and Stiles barely catches it.

                “I could do that, Laura.” Scott pipes up, clearing his throat. “I would hate for him to be out there alone.”

                “Aw, thanks Scott! I’ll let him know to expect you! Stiles, you can head out with Erica to help Derek do the eggs and stables. Derek should just be finishing up milking now, so don’t take too long.” Laura smiles, and pulls her hair back into a ponytail, then stuffs a baseball cap onto her head. She heads out the door with it slamming behind her.

                “You’re going to love mucking out stables, Stiles.” Erica smirks, and Stiles winces. “It’s always a fun time with Derek in charge. He loves the horses, you know. So he likes it when they’re well taken care of. Just hope those skinny arms can even lift a pitchfork or a shovel!”

                “Hey! I’m not that skinny!” Stiles protests, and Erica just widens her smirk. Scott huffs next to him, as though he’s trying to stifle a laugh.

                This day is going to be hell.

                “Laura told me you’d be coming.” Isaac rolls his eyes and Scott huffs and puffs his way up the path that leads to the top of the orchard. It’s full of blueberry bushes. Scott had passed Laura in a small shack on the way up, getting the till ready for a day of selling and picking. A few small baskets of blueberries are already set out, and even a few other things, like radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes. When Scott looked confused, Laura just smiled, and said “Derek’s personal garden. Every little bit helps.”

                “Y-Yeah! I thought I c-could help you pick and whatnot today.” Scott heaved, and Isaac just walked over, and patted him on the shoulder.

                “Let’s hope you make it! Picking starts soon, and we have to make sure everything is in order. First, we have to check the rows, decide what’s ready for picking and what isn’t yet. Also, we want to steer people away from areas that have been pretty well picked over, so we need to look for that as well. Maybe scare off any wildlife. But that’s about it. Then we’ll head back down and help Laura, maybe do some picking ourselves, keep those baskets full so people can just buy ‘em instead of picking blueberries for themselves. Although,” Isaac gives a little smile. “That just ain’t the same!”

                “Sounds good!” Scott replies, and smiles back. Isaac’s smile drops a bit, and Scott doesn’t know what he did wrong. The guy walks past him, and Scott dutifully follows. They begin to search the rows, checking for over picked bushes, any stray wildlife (which Scott desperately wants to avoid), and if there are any rows where the berries haven’t ripened yet. Isaac encourages Scott to take a few berries along the way, get a taste for them so he can tell customers just how sweet and plump they are first hand. Scott takes more than just a few.

                By the time they finish their rounds, the boys head down to the shack, where Laura is just stocking a small fridge with drinks. It’s hooked up to an electrical wire that runs to a generator a little ways off.

                “People love something to drink on a day like this.” Laura smiles, and Scott nods. It’s not a super-hot day, and there is a nice breeze. But after walking around, Scott is ready for a bit of a drink himself.

                “Now, you and Laura will stay here. I have to walk around and make sure everything is okay. But trust me, she’ll need you here. We get a pretty big crowd on days like this, so she’ll need all the help she can get.” Isaac nods at Scott, and Scott shakes his head.

                “Sure thing.” He replies, and then Isaac is back up off the path.

                “He takes a bit after Derek with his grumpiness, but he’s actually super sweet. A gentleman really. He just doesn’t trust people too easily. His father, well…. His father wasn’t a nice man. But Isaac is with us now, just can’t shake that fear though. But don’t worry, he hasn’t threatened you again, has he? Means he likes you.” Laura smiles, and Scott gives her a large grin in return.

                Because that’s great. Scott just might like Isaac too.

                “Erica! I do not have time for your shit today, and if you want Boyd to _not_ spend all day alone at the Raspberry orchard, you better get your ass in gear! You, uh…” Derek wipes his brow, sweat dripping down his face. Stiles tries not to stare too much.

                “Yeah?” Stiles asks, and swallows.

                “Grab a pitchfork. You can start mucking out the empty  ones. Then, when you’re done, I’ll bring in new hay for you to lay down, okay?” Derek  asks, and Stiles just nods. He is completely lost. He looks at the pitchfork in his hand, and then back to the empty stalls of the stable. Stiles frowns. This was not what he expected. But then again, with grumpy Derek at the helm of his chores, Stiles should have known that the older man wouldn’t go easy on him.

                “You better get started.” Erica chimed from a few stalls down. “Derek doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Just much out what you can and then use the shovel to get the rest. Throw it into that big wheel barrow right there.”

                “Thanks.” Stiles replied solemnly, trying to start pitching up what he could. The work was hard, heavy, and unlike anything Stiles was used to.  When all of the bigger stuff was cleared out of the stall, heaps of hay and horse crap, Stiles used the shovel to try and clear the rest of the stall the best that he could. After deeming it as clean as it was going to get, Stiles walked out of the stall and moved to the next one. A few stalls down, he could hear Erica humming and singing softly to herself, something low and crooning.

                Stiles strained to hear Erica more, but he was lost in the sound of his blood rushing in his own ears with the toil of work. He didn’t think he would be that out of shape, but apparently hard labor was nothing like climbing the stairs up to his dorm room.

                A few stalls later, and Stiles almost done with mucking them out, he was covered in sweat, Erica watching him chuckling, her work having been done a few minutes earlier.

                “You know, I thought Derek told you not to fool around.” Stiles gritted through his teeth. He heaved the last shovelful of disgusting horse excrement into the wheel barrow, and wiped the sweat on his sleeve.

                “I did say that.” Derek’s voice came from the end of the barn. He was pushing a large pallet cart full of hay bales. “You can go help Boyd, in fact Erica. He’ll need it. We opened a half an hour ago, so you might want to get up there as soon as humanly possible.”

                “Should I…” Stiles began, but Derek cut him off.

“You get to help me spread this.”

                “Okay. But do you think I could take a breather?” Stiles asked. He was covered in sweat, and his arms felt like jelly. He was incredibly thirsty, and despite the cool breeze running through the barn, Stiles felt as though it were about 100 degrees in the barn.

                “No, but you can get yourself a quick drink. Faucet is over there where we feed the water buckets. Hurry up.” Derek allowed, and Stiles frowned. But he rushed over to the faucet anyway, turning it on and drinking his fill. He also stuck his head under the water flow, and groaned out. It felt so refreshing, even if would make his shirt even more wet and feel even more gross.

                “Alright! Enough! Let’s go!” Derek snapped from behind him, and Stiles turned off the faucet and walked over to where Derek was. He felt something hit his chest, and a pair of heavy work gloves fell to the ground as the slid from the spot where they hit Stiles’ chest.

                “Put these on. Then, take a bale, move it to the stall, cut the lines with this,” Derek handed him, thankfully not throwing, a pair of scissors, “and then spread the bale out. Make sure it covers the entire floor as evenly as possible.”

                Then, Derek lifted a bale off the cart, and carried it into one of the empty stalls, and Stiles blushed even more, not caused by the heat of the day or exertion of work. He knew he wanted to get away when he had proposed his idea to Scott because of guys that looked like Derek. Hot, attractive, stubborn men. Men in general really. But Stiles couldn’t help but look. Derek’s arms were muscled, veiny in that way that suggested hard work and discipline, a body that was tanned, built, yet like his skin was softer than anything. There were hardly any blemishes, and to Stiles’ surprise, a tattoo on Derek’s back that was visible through the wife beater that Derek was wearing.

                “Are you going to just stand there, or are you actually going to get started?” Derek huffed from the stall he was in, and Stiles started, jumping a bit. He slumped over to the cart and grabbed a bale from the back of it. It was heavy, and the smell of warm hay was new to Stiles. Cutting the strings, Stiles spread the bale out as evenly on the floor as possible. He could hear Derek, a few stalls away, grunting and moving, spreading the bale out. Stiles bit his lip, trying to block out the sounds.

                “When we get done here, we should probably collect the eggs, then head up to the orchards. We need to check on Laura and Isaac. Oh, and your friend. Then Boyd and Erica too. Lydia and Jackson are down at the dairy. It’s the building closest to the house on the other side. That’s where all the milk and other dairy is sold. We can head over there last. Then, after that, we have to…”

                “Wait, w-wait.” Stiles heaved, pulling himself out of the stall to the cart to get another bale of hay. “What do you mean “we”. You mean I’m helping you all day?”

                Derek popped his head out from the stall he was in, glaring.

                “You have any other plans?” He asked clipped. His tone made Stiles’ insides flip around, and not in a good way. It wasn’t a threat, but there would be consequences if he didn’t respond the way Derek wanted him to.

                “Uh, no! No that’s fine! That’s just a lot of work. Shouldn’t the others…”

                “They pull their weight. But Laura and Cora are not meant to do all the heavy labor. That means I do. I lift, I cart, I move. We visit them to help them cart more produce to the stands and make sure they have what they need.” Derek grunted.

                “So, you’re like the manager?” Stiles asked, fiddling with a piece of hay.

                “You could say that. But I don’t act like the boss. Laura usually does. I just know what needs to get done. Everyone has their share and their weight to pull. This farm runs on profits gained by what we sell. I’m not,” Derek huffed, wiping his brow, walking over to Stiles. “I’m not good at all that. Laura, Cora, and the rest of the girls are good at doing that. The rest of the boys do their share, and are there to help the girls. They do their part. I just do the left over jobs.”

                Stiles nodded silently, and grabbed the next bale of hay.

 

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

                “So, what’s the deal with you guys?” Laura asks Scott, the cash register drawer slamming shut as another family with young children leave with their pockets lighter and their buckets filled with fresh, sweet berries.

                “What do you mean?” Scott asks, popping another berry into his mouth, the third he’s stolen from a prepicked basket in the last two minutes. Laura slaps his hand away, and smirks at him.

                “You and Stiles, are you guys like…” Laura smiles, and Scott shakes his head quickly.

                “Oh, dude! No! We are totally bros though. Since like forever. He’s… he’s been really upset lately though. Guy troubles.” Scott frowned. “He has this habit of going after guys who want nothing to do with him. The last guy kind of used him even.  It’s not that all he goes for is a pretty face, but he just, he’s just got this heart that loves too much, you know?” Scott leans back in the plastic chair set up in the shack.

                “He sounds like a good guy though, at least from what I can tell.” Laura smiles, and Scott nods.

                “Totally is! And he’s incredibly smart. But he has no common sense. His dad, his dad is a Sheriff, and he’s always saying how one day he’s going to end up arresting Stiles for sheer stupidity. It’s funny, usually anyway, until we get caught doing something stupid.” Scott chuckles, remembering the time that they had filled one their neighbors hot tubs with soap so it foamed up.

                “So, you’re not a bad guy either. Got anyone you’re interested in?” Laura remarks, sort of offhandedly and as though she doesn’t care.

                “Well, I mean there have been a few girls here and there…”

                “So, just girls, huh?”

                “Oh…uh, well, I mean I guess it’s both ways… uh, I mean I think?” Scott stammers, and Laura laughs, bright and fully.

                “No worries, Scott. We’re very accepting people. Isaac himself is gay, and well, I think Derek would love anyone who would love him for real, and not just for his looks or something. I mean, we do have quite a few couples here, like Lydia and Jackson, Erica and Boyd, but it’s not all bad. Cora’s been talking to this cute girl that seems to be a regular here lately. I however, don’t really do the whole love thing. I’m more all about the friends I make than the love I make. You get me?” Laura looks at Scott, and he smiles, glad she’s opening up to him and trusts him with that type of information.

                “Sure do. You know, Laura, you’re pretty cool for a girl we picked up on the side of the road.” Scott comments, and Laura scoffs, throwing a berry at Scott’s head. It bounces off.

                “Will you two stop fucking around?” Isaac frowns, walking into the shack. His shirt is covered in sweat, and his hands are a bit filthy and stained.

                “Laur, all good on the animal front. Nothing more than some bunnies and stuff, I think. No bears, at least from the way of the fences. No big scat. Had to tie up a few branches here and there- berries are getting pretty heavy. Taste good.” Isaac remarks, pulling the small fridge open and grabbing himself a water.

                “Do you need any more help?” Scott asks, sitting up, but Isaac waves him off.

                “Naw. I mean, we could go pick some more baskets to sell for those who don’t want to pick them themselves, but we do have quite a few. Cora probably headed to the dairy right about now, Erica and Boyd are up at the other orchard by now too. Not much we can really do. Unless you want to go help Stiles, who’s probably being slave driven by Derek.” Isaac laughs, and Laura shakes her head, chuckling.

                “Is he really that bad?” Scott asks, concerned.

                “No, but he works hard. He took it hardest after mom and dad died after all. Works it out by keeping the farm running without having to hire anyone else. He thinks we’re all we need. But sometimes I feel he’s going to work himself to death. Or until death anyway. He’s as strong as an ox.” Laura comments.

                A couple, young and seemingly in love, walk up to the stand, one large basket in their hands, empty and waiting to be filled. They coo at each other while Laura weighs their basket to be able to weigh the weight of the berries after they pick them.

                “Enjoy!” She calls after them after she hands them their basket. She rolls her eyes, and looks back at Isaac and Scott, lounging around.

                “Well, I mean, I’m all set here. It’s still pretty quiet. I can call you up if I need anything.” Laura pats the walkie talkie on her hip. “Why don’t you and Scott go for a walk or something?”

                “That sounds fun! I…well, I kind of wanted to ask you to show me to shoot.” Scott says timidly to Isaac, who scoffs.

                “And what do you need to learn to shoot for?” Isaac takes another swig of his water.

                Scott blushes, not willing to tell Isaac that he thought the idea of him behind a gun made Scott’s stomach do things, but there was no other reason really. He stammers a little, but finally manages to get out a proper answer.

                “Well, I just never learned, you know? And you seem like you know how to handle a gun. I just think it would be cool to learn. I promise I won’t do anything stupid. You don’t have to give me a gun or anything, just maybe show me how by you doing it?” Scott almost pleads, and when Laura backs him up, Isaac gives him.

                “Fine, but you give me a call the first sign you need me, okay Laur? Let’s go Scott, we’ll head out a ways to the empty pasture.” Isaac grabs a shotgun from behind the shack.  Scott must look shocked, as Isaac just laughs at him.

                “Just in case of troublesome customers. We have one at each selling point, even in the barn and chicken coop. We’ve had trouble with thieves in the past. Derek made it mandatory.”

                The two make their way down the path to an empty field, surrounded by nothing but wild flowers and wooden fence. They walk a ways into it, and then finally stop. There’s a small table set up in the middle, shards of broken glass all over it.

                “We usually come out here for target practice. But it’s been a while. We’ve gotten pretty good at hitting our targets. But Derek sometimes comes out here to blow off steam. I come out here sometimes too, but usually just to relax. There’s a pond a little ways away from here, so that’s my spot usually. Now, let me set up a few bottles. There’s a chest over there, kind of hidden by the grass. I’ll set them up, and then I can teach you, okay? Now, hold this. But don’t touch anything.” Isaac says, and places the gun in Scott’s hands. As Isaac walks off, Scott tries not to panic over the feeling of the thing in his hands, the power it holds.

                Isaac quickly sets up a few glass bottles, looks like old wine bottles, and walks back to Scott.

                “Now,” Isaac begins, taking the gun from Scott’s hands. “You of course know this isn’t a toy. Someone could get seriously hurt or killed. So, if you ever get your hands on one, don’t fuck around. Now, you need to make sure the safety is on. That’s this right here.” Isaac points out a small part and Scott nods.  “That makes sure that the gun won’t go off when it’s on. To shoot the gun, you need to turn it off.” Isaac turns the safety off, and then holds the gun up to his shoulder.

                “Now, you just need to make sure that you place the butt of the shotgun comfortably. The kickback is a little rough, so don’t put it right on your shoulder so you hurt yourself when you shoot it.” Isaac removes the gun from his shoulder. “You want to shoot as comfortably as you can possibly get. You don’t want to hurt yourself every shot. Now, you try placing it. Just let me put the safety back on, so we don’t have any accidents.”

                “O-okay.” Scott nods, and Isaac hands him the gun. Scott then moves the butt of the gun up to the crook between his torso and shoulder, the position feeling strange yet not uncomfortable. He gets used to the feeling of the gun, looking down it’s barrel.

                “That an okay position? You feel okay?” Isaac asks, and Scott nods.  Then, Isaac comes up behind Scott, his chest to Scott’s back, and Scott can feel himself going red.

                “Now, all you have to do is turn the safety off, and then aim. I want you to aim at that center bottle there. Just focus, breathe, and you’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much about the kickback.”

                Scott removes the gun for a moment to turn the safety off, and then raises it back up to the comfortable spot on his shoulder. He lets himself get settled for a moment. Then, breathing out, he feels that he’s ready enough to shoot. Focusing on the middle bottle, he takes one last inhale and pulls the trigger. The kickback from the gun knocks him right into Isaac, who is right there to catch him. Isaac’s front is completely against Scott’s back, and he can feel the warmth of the blonde boy all against him. It does crazy things to his stomach.

                “Not bad! You missed completely, but not bad at all. You just need to get used to gaging how high or low to aim the shot. But the more you shoot, the better you’ll do. Try it again.” Isaac says in Scott’s ear, sending shivers up his spine.

                “Sure.” Scott sends out another shot, and this time, Isaac moves his hands down Scott’s arm to aim the gun with him.

                “You need to stop lifting up with the kickback. Just stay steady, and hold the gun steady. Now, try it again.” Isaac says sternly, but not mean. Scott pulls the trigger again, and Isaac’s hands hold the gun steady. The bullet smashes through the bottle, and Isaac backs off of Scott’s back and lets out a whoop.  Scott lets out a winded shout himself, shocked that he’d actually managed to hit the bottle at all. He turns to Isaac, and leans in to hug him. Then, he remembers the gun, and puts it down on the ground first. He looks up, and Isaac is chuckling slightly.

                “You okay?” Isaac asks, only a second to spare before Scott launches himself into the boy. Isaac loses his balance, and the two of them go down. They’re still chuckling on the ground when Scott realizes his position. He sobers up a little, and leans back.

                “Thanks, dude. It was awes-“ Scott gets cut off, Isaac’s lips pressed against him. He tastes like berries and chapstick and sweetness. It’s strange, how it feels kissing a guy- as though it is more powerful than anything else. Instead of soft and curves, Scott is seriously shocked and turned on by the hard press of Isaac’s body beneath his, and the lips against his own are more firm.

                “Damn…” Isaac whimpers when he pulls away, letting his head rest in the long grass underneath them.

                “Uhm…. That was… that was good.” Scott replies, and sits back on his ankles. Isaacs legs are trapped underneath him, but the blonde isn’t going anywhere.

                “You think?” Isaac smiles, and Scott is instantly in love.  His smile is off kilter, and his teeth are a tad crooked but it’s the most perfect smile Scott has ever seen.

                “Uhm, I didn’t think you liked me to be honest. You know, with the whole shotgun thing.” Scott frowned a bit, and he watched as Isaac’s face fell.

                “We’re not kind to strangers on the farm at night. Plus, we’d been worried over Laura for hours. We’d been thinking about calling the police when you showed up. Laura is like the sister I never had. I would hurt anyone who even thought about hurting her. I’m not sorry I came across that way, but do know that it wasn’t anything personal.” Isaac explained, and Scott nodded.

                “It’s okay. Laura is pretty cool, I would probably be the same way. In fact, all you guys are pretty amazing. I’m glad me and Stiles decided to get away.” Scott smiled, and Isaac brushed a hand down Scott’s side.

“So, you don’t have anyone back at school you were running away from, do you?” Isaac asks, and Scott shakes his head.

                “I’ve had girlfriends, and I’ve talked to some guys at parties, but I don’t have anyone at the moment. Why?”

                Isaac looked a little sheepish, and rubbed Scott’s side again. “Well, I was just thinking, maybe for while you’re here, we could…. I don’t know…. maybe see how we like each other?”

                “You mean, like see each other? A weekend fling?” Scott smirks, and Isaac chuckles.

                “If that’s all you want it to be at the end, then that’s what it will be. But that’s up to you, Sharp Shooter.” Isaac then leans up and captures Scott’s lips again in a kiss.

                They don’t leave the field for quite some time.

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                “I hate chickens.” Stiles frowned, walking away from the coop with a basket of eggs. His arms were scratched and bruises, having fought bravely for the eggs he’d collected.

                “You’ll live.” Derek huffed, carrying his basket out of the other coop. He was thankfully wearing gloves- which Stiles had refused to take, playing cool.

                “So, what do we do now?” Stiles asked, and looked at Derek expectantly. He was soaked with sweat, and some small feathers stuck in his wet hair, making him look both ridiculous and delicious. Stiles bit his lip to refrain from saying anything.

                “I’ll radio Laura, see if she needs help. But we’re going to bring this over to Jackson and Lydia. They’ll put these into cartons and sell ‘em fresh. Then once we’re done checking orchards, we’ll head back to them to see what they need and what we need to restock and such.” Derek replied. He began walking towards the building that housed the small store on the land. Stiles struggled to keep up, hobbling behind him.

                When they arrived, Lydia was sending off a kindly old couple who’d bought cheese and a fresh quart of milk. Derek passed them silently, while Stiles smiled, and nodded at them.

                “Hey, D, got a lot today?” Jackson asked, and Derek shook his head.

                “We have enough. Should be more tomorrow.”

                Lydia smiled at Stiles, and shook her head.

                “Looks like he’s putting you through the ringer. It means he likes you, you know.” She said, and looked over at the door that Jackson and Derek had exited through, both carrying the baskets of eggs.

                “Really? He hardly says anything to me.” Stiles mutters, rubbing at his sore arms.

                “Yeah, which means he likes you. If he talks, it means he’s telling you what you’re doing wrong, or how to do something that he knows he’s going to have to fix later anyway. Derek isn’t a vocal guy, so when he is, it’s best to be on your best behavior. But him being kind of quiet? Totally likes you.” Lydia laughs, and Stiles smiles at her, appreciative.

                “Thanks! It means a lot. It’s been really rough and… well it’s nice to know that someone likes me, you know? Even if it’s just in a ‘you’re-not-that-annoying’ kind of way.” Stiles quips, and Derek walks out of the room he’d entered.

                “Alright. I have to radio Laura, and probably Erica and Boyd. See if they need any help. Jackson and Lydia look alright here for now.” Derek says, and Stiles nods.

                “No worries about us, D. We have this under lock and key.” Lydia smirks and Derek rolls his eyes at her.

                “No sex in the back room.” Derek growls, and Lydia acts like she’s been offended. Stiles lets out a surprised chuckle.

                As they’re walking out of the store, Derek radios Laura, who says that she’s perfectly fine. When he radios Erica and Boyd, Erica replies that they could use some berries picked for the premade baskets. That apparently decides Stiles’ fate as he follows Derek to a crazy looking tractor and gold cart hybrid.

                “Hop on. It will take forever if we walk, and I am not saddling a horse for you.” Derek mumbles, and Stiles slides into the passenger seat. The engine revs, and Derek and Stiles take off slowly for Erica and Boyd’s duty.

                When they arrive, Erica is playing with a baseball, throwing it up into the air and catching it while Boyd is staring off into space.

                “Well don’t you two look productive.” Derek teases, shaking his head.

                “You would be too! Laura is making bank over where she is, but we’ve hardly seen anyone all day. I mean, you get some families and old people, but there’s nothing exciting going on.” Erica whines, and then looks at Stiles.

                “You’re still alive? Damn, must be some sort of miracle. I thought you would have collapsed by now!” She smirks, and Stiles shrugs.

                “Must be the old Stilinski genes. I look weak, but I have a lot of stamina.” He replies, and Erica grins like a cat, sly and cunning.

                “You hear that Derek? He has a lot of stamina.” She quips, and Derek’s face goes red. He shakes his head and storms into the back of the shack they have to grab a large bucket with some smaller ones to pick the berries with. Stiles blushes, and gapes openly at Erica.

                “Wha-why? Why would you even say that? You know that is not what I meant!” He stammered, and Erica chuckles.

                “It’s okay, Stiles. He doesn’t mind. Derek has got some stamina himself!” She coos just as Derek comes out of the back room of the shack.

                “Let’s go.”

                Stiles dutifully follows Derek back to the tractor thing and watches as Derek puts the buckets into the back. He slides back into the passenger’s seat and Derek sends one last glare at Erica before he revs the engine and heads up the path into the orchard. They ride in silence until they get about halfway in.

                “Now, rules. No eating everything you see. Okay? People come up and think they can chow down as many as they can- Don’t. It ruins it. Second, pick only ripe berries. We don’t need you picking any that need more time. Third, if you see anything like an animal or predator, you don’t run. Walk away slowly and find me.” Derek outlines, and Stiles nods.

                “What if the animal already got you, and I find you dead with berries all over you?” Stiles asks, and Derek shakes his head.

                “Just fucking come get me, okay? Once you fill up the small pail, bring it back here, empty it, and go back out. I’ll tell you when to stop.” Derek huffs and walks away, grabbing his smaller pail and walking into a row of berry bushes.  Stiles grabs his bucket and scrambles after him.

                “Wait! Why can’t we just stick together?” Stiles asks, and Derek mumbles something under his breath that Stiles can’t hear.

                “I just, I just mean that I think it would be a good idea. You know, never split the party? Shaggy and Scooby man- they always ended up in trouble when they split up!” Stiles continues, and watches as Derek begins to pluck berries away from their stems with his nimble fingers.

                “We want to cover more ground.”

                “But I’ve never done this before.” Stiles argues. Derek sighs, and grabs his wrist, pulling him over to the large bush that he’s at. Pulling Stiles close, he points at a clump of berries.

                “You see these here? Ripe, perfect for picking. They’ll be sweet and juicy. These here?” He points to a section that look more green. “You leave alone. They’re not ready yet.” Derek replies. Stiles nods quickly, the warmth of Derek’s hand on his wrist radiating through his body.  He’s so close, and he won’t deny the fact that Derek is drop dead beautiful. He’s like an Adonis in blue jeans and a country mindset. Sure, he could be a little rude and abrasive, but Stiles didn’t mind that at all… well, much anyway.

                “Okay. Thank you.” Stiles replies, and Derek lets go of Stiles’ wrist slowly. Stiles moves to a bush a little ways away, and begins to pluck the berries of the tress, of course not as quick as Derek can. Picking a good bunch, Stiles looks around, and stuffs one of the berries into his mouth. It’s warm and perfect in his mouth, and Stiles moans out loudly at the taste of it. A loud cough comes from Derek’s direction. Maybe a bug flew into his mouth, Stiles though, and smiled to himself.

                A few minutes later, Stiles had probably eaten just as many berries as he’d put into his bucket. Sure, it probably wasn’t good, but what was healthier than fresh berries? Practically nothing in Stiles’ mind.

                “You doing okay?” Derek came around to ask, appearing out of the tall bushes, wiping his hands on his jeans. Stiles smiled at him, and Derek shook his head and sighed.

                “You’re not supposed to eat all the berries you pick, you know. You look like a dog who got into chocolate. The juice is staining your teeth and lips.” Derek smirked, and Stiles ducked his head.  Derek huffs, and walks closer. Stiles blushes as Derek pulls out a handkerchief from his back pocket and hands it over.

                “I used to do that too. My dad used to bring me out here, and we would just eat until we were stuffed. Mom used to get so mad. But… you know how to control yourself after a while.” Derek explains as Stiles wipes his mouth with the cloth, hoping he doesn’t miss a spot.”

                “That sounds pretty cool. Like a good memory.” Stiles replies, and Derek nods, kicking the ground with his boot.

                “Yeah. Hardly any bad memories. You know? Well…some. But that’s life, isn’t it.” Derek mumbles, and Stiles nods.

                “My mom… she uh, she died when I was young. So, I get it. You want to remember the good stuff.”

                “Yeah.” Derek smiles, actually smiles, and holy god. Nope. Stiles cannot compute. It’s like someone had short circuited his brain and it was struggling to get back online. Derek. Smiling. What?

                “Well! My belly is full now, so I guess I should get picking more berries while I don’t have the stomach to inhale them into my mouth, you know? Besides, I bet Erica and Boyd are getting too comfortable down there in that shack to be sanitary.” Stiles rambles, and Derek huffs, this time almost a laugh.

                “Fill your bucket once, and we can go. Besides, it’s almost time for supper.” Derek checks the sky, and Stiles wonders how he can possibly know that. But then again, Derek is probably the type to look at the sun in the sky and just know. Regular mountain man or something. Stiles nods, and gets back to work, listening to Derek’s footsteps walk away back into the bushes he had been working on.  Stiles smiled at the sound, and then popped one more berry into his mouth before turning back the bushes to pick.

                At around six, Derek radios in for Laura, Isaac, and Scott to close down and put up the barriers to the orchard. Stiles and Derek do the same for Erica and Boyd, the thick wooden signs and barricade looking walls not really holding people out, but more or less warning them to stay out.

                “Not much we can actually do. We have some cameras, but it’s not like they can’t sneak in from somewhere else.” Boyd shrugged, and Erica nodded.

                “Besides, we’ve never had a problem. People are too afraid of the wildlife and Derek to attempt it.” Derek gives Erica a grumpy look, but she just grabs Stiles’ arm, and pulls him to the tractor cart. After all the merchandise is locked up and set away, the four of them ride off to head to the main house. Along the way, Laura rides back with a smug looking Isaac and a dopey looking Scott. Scott smiles at Stiles in the way that tells Stiles he’s going to need to vent in the best way possible later on.

                When the group walks in, Lydia and Jackson are already in the kitchen, the radio playing some sad song on the radio. Lydia hummed along as she stirred something in a pot. Jackson was cutting up what looked and smelled like fish. A fryer sat on the counter, heating up, and Stiles could smell the oil already.

                “Fish for dinner?” Isaac asked, slumping down into a kitchen chair. Lydia nodded, and Erica grinned.

                “We all know you prefer sausage to fish, Isaac, but you can suck it up.” Laura laughed. Cora walked in the door, and hugged Derek from behind before going up the stairs.

                “Affectionate!” Scott laughs, and Stiles grimaces.

                “Do you smell that?”

                Derek looks around, and his face scrunches up. Laura catches sight of him, and starts to laugh. Across his back, where Cora had hugged him, was a long line of what looked like mud. But judging from the smell, it wasn’t mud.

                “Cora! I am going to bury you beneath the barn!” Derek hollered, and ran up the stairs. A few minutes later, the sound of squealing, Cora pleading for Derek to stop, and what sounded like the sounds of wrestling, Derek walked down the stairs. His hair was more messy, and the not-mud-mud seemed to have spread from his shirt to his face. The sound of the shower from upstairs was an indicator of what had happened.

                “I am going to go hose off. I promise I’ll shower before dinner, Lydia.” Derek said, and walked out the door.

                “Those two never quit.” Boyd chuckled, and grabbed some lemonade from the fridge, pouring himself and Erica a glass.

                “You should all go try and get yourselves cleaned up. I don’t want a bunch of animals at my dinner table.” Lydia shoos them away, and everyone gets up to head upstairs, readying themselves for a shower.

                When Scott and Stiles enter their room, Scott shuts the door, and smiles at Stiles.

                “Dude. You will never guess what happened.” Scott whispers, and Stiles perks up from dragging his clothes out of his duffle bad.

                “What happened? Did Laura hit on you?”

                “Uh…not Laura. Isaac. Stiles, he is so perfect. He showed me how to shoot, and then before you knew it, we were… well we were kissing, and then some stuff happened…”

                “You two… did you?” Stiles asks, and Scott shakes his head.

                “No, but some other stuff did. Stiles, he is literally perfect. He’s not all that bad. I just think he’s had it rough. But he is so cool. I think I really like him.” Scott sighs, and Stiles rolls his eyes lovingly.

                “Okay lover boy. You head in the shower first. You probably have angel semen all over you now. All I did today was sweat and pick berries.” Stiles snorts, and Scott walks away from the door, heading into the bathroom. Stiles sits on the floor, not wanting to get the bed dirty.

                He can’t say he isn’t happy for Scott. He totally is. But at the same time, this weekend was supposed to take his mind off of things. Not remind of how pathetically lonely he is while Scott can get anyone he wants. Not that Stiles wanted Isaac, no, he’d much prefer a scruffy, broody…cowboy of sorts who actually cares about his family and friends. Stiles puts his head in his hands. He really needs to stop thinking. Derek would never want him, never even think of him like that.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                Outside, Derek hosed himself off quickly. He cannot believe Cora would do such a thing. Especially in front of…guests. Derek could call them that. Derek could even call them somewhat friendly people- not friends just yet.

                Scott seemed capable, and probably could do well on the farm. He seemed gentle in the way that Derek’s mother was, yet strong on the inside. Derek couldn’t also deny that Isaac looked at Scott like he hung the moon in the night sky. They’d got off on the wrong foot, especially with Isaac, but Isaac had eased up, it was evident. Scott seemed easy to trust, easy to befriend. There wasn’t a seeming malicious bone in his body.

                Derek couldn’t think about Scott without of course thinking about Stiles. The way the two of them had rode up in the shitty jeep Stiles drove, all long limbs, veiny hands, and beautiful moles. God, it was like someone carved him out of porcelain and Derek’s late night hands only fantasies. He was quirky, somewhat annoying, and talkative. Completely the opposite of Derek himself. He supposed that was what attracted him, and would make their goodbye in two days or so more painful. Derek hated to say that he got attached quickly. With a crazy ex-girlfriend, dead parents, and not much of a social life, Derek hated to admit that he clung to the people who actually cared to speak to him. Stiles, while an exception, was no exception. He was friendly, but he was also more than that.

                He was someone Derek could see himself teaching to ride a horse, teaching to fish in the local lake, and waking up to after a long day and even longer night, muscles sore from their midnight romps. They could walk the orchards together, feed the cows, make fun of the chickens and horses. Derek frowned, splashing himself in the face with the hose.  He needed to stop thinking like this. Stiles  would be gone soon, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

                “Derek?” Laura called from the door. Derek turned the hose off, and walked around to the door.

                “Everyone out of the shower?” Derek asks, and Laura nods. Derek trudges back into the house, and up the stairs. He heard Isaac and Cora in Isaac’s room, laughing and giggling. He shook his head, and headed into his bedroom to get a quick shower and to wash the rest of the mess off of him. Tonight would certainly be one of awkward talk, he was sure of it.

                Halfway through his shower, Derek heard a knock at his door. It creaked open, and knew it was either Laura or Cora.

                “D?” Cora asked, and Derek shook his head.

                “I would ask if you’ve ever heard of knocking, but you have, you just barge in anyway.” Derek replied. “What do you need?”

                “I wanted to apologize for before.”

                Derek pulled back the shower curtain so he could peek his head out. “What did you just say? Are you actually apologizing for a prank?”

                “Don’t be such a dick.” Cora scoffed. “And yeah, I am apologizing. I made you look really…shitty in front of our guests.” Cora chuckled, and Derek threw his head back in laughter.

                “It’s okay. At least I can clean up well.”

                “Alright. Well I just wanted to let you know that almost everyone is done getting ready for dinner. Should be done in a few minutes.” Cora said, and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

                Derek finished up his shower quickly, making sure to scrub his hair and fingernails well.  He dressed in some jeans and a tank, ready to relax right after bed anyway. He didn’t see the need to get dolled up. The kitchen downstairs was loud as Derek walked in, everyone talking and spooning from pots and taking from plates as they fixed themselves dinner. Derek joined the hubbub as everyone sat down to eat, lemonade being poured and food being stolen from plates.

                “Well, nice to see you cleaned up alright.” Stiles teased, and Derek felt his face flare up. Of course Stiles would say something. His mouth was always moving.

                “Yeah. It took a bit of scrubbing, but I think I got it all.” Derek replied, and Cora chuckled from her place at the table.

                Once everyone began eating, the table quieted down, nothing but the clink of silverware on plates and the occasional “pass this” or “pass that please”. The fish was flaky and fried to perfection, and Lydia had made a side of homemade macaroni and cheese that was to die for. The lemonade was sweet and tangy, perfect for the night outside.

                After dinner, the group headed outside to sit outside on the porch. The sun was setting, and they could hear the cows in the barn mooing softly, content in their pens for the night. The farm itself was quiet, only a few fluttering of birds, the occasional yip of a fox in the woods the only sound they heard.

                “So how do you think we did today?” Erica asked, lazily running her hands up and down Boyd’s arm as they sat on the steps.

                “I don’t suspect too badly. We had a lot of people up at the blueberry farm. Once we get the cherries okay, we can open that up.” Laura replied, and Derek nodded.

                “We did okay in the dairy. Lots of eggs sold. One old woman even bought three pounds of cheese. Says she uses it to feed her family when they come in to visit.” Jackson mused, sipping his lemonade.

                “You boys did pretty good for your day here.” Cora smiled, looking at Scott and Stiles. They looked more exhausted than anyone else, Scott practically falling asleep on Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles’ eyes were heavy, his head dropping every now and then.

                “Yeah, you two definitely earned your keep.” Lydia laughed, and Isaac blushed, looking away.

                The group stayed on the porch until it turned dark, before they began heading to bed. First, it was Erica and Boyd, sleepily saying good night. Then Jackson and Lydia, and Cora after them. Laura stayed up, until her yawning became too much, and left as well. Isaac dragged a sleepy Scott with him, leaving just Derek and Stiles on the porch together. Derek choked down words as Stiles moved to sit next to him.

                “You do a good job here, man. Really. It’s awesome.” Stiles said, and Derek’s chest filled with pride.

                “I do what I can. What they would have wanted me to do.” He replied, and Stiles nodded.

                “I bet there is never a dull moment. Not with your crew.” Stiles chuckled, and Derek smiled.

                “Not at all, but it does get lonely sometimes. Sometimes it hurts that they aren’t here, or that I wake up every morning with no one next to me to understand.” Derek blurted, his words coming out like vomit that he couldn’t stop. What was he doing? He blushed, thankful for the dark night. Stiles hopefully wouldn’t notice.

                “Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, I’m just some college kid, but it’s hard. All my hard work, sacrifice, you know? I want someone to share that with. Someone to be there to just listen to me ramble when I write papers, or cuddle me while I read. It’s hard to find that… part of the reason we’re out here actually.” Stiles sighed.

                “What, couldn’t find what you were looking for?” Derek asked. Part of him was hopeful that Stiles might say he was looking for someone like Derek, the other half was convinced he was insane.

                “No, not at all. Had this fling with this guy, didn’t turn out right. Kind of dicked me over, and not in the good way.” Stiles smiled bitterly, and knocked Derek in the shoulder.

                “Well, he sounds like a dick to match the one he probably doesn’t have. Guys these days have no idea how to be gentlemen.” Derek huffed, and he felt Stiles move a bit closer.

                “And what, you know how to be a gentleman?” Stiles asked, moving his hand closer to Derek’s.

                “I…I do. I know how a guy should treat a man, make him feel like a King, like a god. He should be treated wonderfully, yet not like he’s able to walk on the man he loves. It is a give and take. But I… I would treat a guy right. Do everything I could to help him out with what he needed.”

                “That sounds awesome, dude.” Stiles smiles.

                “Yeah…” Derek swallows hard. “Like listen to him ramble when he writes papers, cuddle him when he reads. Be there for him when guys dick him over.”

                Derek feels Stiles’ eyes on his as all the breath leaves his lungs. He feels Stiles’ hand take his, and his other hand come up and cup his chin, forcing gently Derek to look at him. Derek lets out a shaky breath as Stiles’ eyes meet his.

                The kiss is chaste and perfect. Stiles’ lips are soft, perfectly moist, and he tastes like sweet lemonade and sunshine. Derek whimpers a bit when Stiles pushes a bit harder against him, and brings his hand to cup the back of Stiles’ head and bring him closer. When they pull away after a few seconds to catch their breath, Stiles is flushed, Derek can see it so close. He can only imagine that he looks the same.

                “God, you have no idea how perfect you are.” Stiles murmurs, and Derek captures his lips once more, this time a little rougher, more passionately.

                They kiss for a long time, their breath mingling, their hands wandering slightly. It’s late by the time they break apart, Stiles pressing his fingers to his lips. Derek clears his throat, looking away slightly. They’re still holding hands, and Derek doesn’t want to let go. Stiles eventually pulls on his hand, and Derek looks over at him.

                “So, um, I’m pretty sure I like you, like a lot.” Stiles smiles, and Derek chuckles.

                “I would hope so, I don’t kiss just anyone.” Derek replies, and Stiles nods.

                “Well, now that we have that established, you want to go upstairs? Not… not to like sleep together, but I mean to sleep. Together. Without sex. No sex involved. Unless you want to, which is perfectly fine. But…” Derek’s lips cut Stiles off.

                “We both have a big day tomorrow. I plan on doing a lot with you.” Derek smirks, and Stiles loses his breath.

                “Can I rope a cow?” Stiles asks.

                “Sure, I’ll set Laura out in the pastures.” Derek chuckles as Stiles gasps and laughs. As Stiles laughs, Derek places his lips on his neck, kissing his way up and down in a way that makes Stiles lose his breath.

                “Let’s head upstairs now. I’m pretty sure Scott is in Isaac’s room, but we can head to mine, just in case.” Derek says, and pulls Stiles up with him. They head into the house, lock the door, and head up the stairs. The trip takes them a bit longer, as they keep stopping to kiss every so often in the hallway and on the steps.

                Stiles would agree with Derek when he wakes up the next morning and says that he’s never slept better.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                The change of everyone in the house was very apparent. Lydia and Erica smirked at Stiles and Scott more than usual, Isaac being about one thousand more affectionate to Scott. Scott himself was sporting many a purplish bruises on his neck and collarbone, and Isaac looked about the same.

                The day was filled with work, Derek and Stiles once again mucking out the stable on their own, this time Derek stealing sweet kisses, and the occasional pat on the ass. Stiles loved when Derek would sidle up to him, rough gloves on, and just kiss him on the neck from behind. Despite being secretive, the whole house basically knew what they were up to. They had never seen Derek so happy, especially after the passing of their parents. But now, he seemed so carefree, laughing more at jokes, and making eyes at Stiles as though he’d created the world.

                Later that night, the day having gone by in a blur of sweat, kisses, and blisters, Derek and Stiles decided they would take a walk about to one of the many fields and lay out, watching the moon and stars.

                “So, you leave tomorrow.” Derek said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as upset as he felt. It was quick, the way he liked Stiles, and he’d never experienced something like that. Derek had thought he’d felt it once, but he was young back then. Now he knew, and it created a dark and deep emptiness in his heart. He would lose Stiles, just like he lost others who were important to him. It was only a matter of time, he knew it.

                “Yeah. Me and Scott have to get back to campus. We have to get ready for our classes.” Stiles replied, and Derek could tell he was just as upset by the idea. “But, we can still call each other. And I have the jeep, I can always come down. And I’m sure once Laura gets the Camaro fixed, you can drive up and see me if you want.”

                “Yeah, I could.” Derek smiled, and leaned over to kiss Stiles. Stiles responded in full, wrapping his arms around Derek’s neck to pull him closer, dragging the stubbled man on top of him. They began to kiss passionately, Derek’s hips bucking slightly into Stiles’ as their kissing became more intense.

                “D-Derek. We…we should stop.” Stiles said, and Derek nodded, kissing Stiles’ cheek and rolling off him, sitting up.

                “I’m sorry.” Derek mumbled, but Stiles shook his head.

                “Dude! No way! I just… as much as I want you, I totally want to get to know you more. I mean, not that I don’t. But… I guess I’ve just been burned, I don’t want to take this too quickly, you know?” Stiles explains, and Derek smiles, nodding.

                “Understood, one thousand percent. I want that too.” Derek replied, and took Stiles’ hand in his own. “How about you tell me more about yourself. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend?”

                “Sounds great! So, when I was in the first grade, there was this kid with a crooked jaw…” Stiles began, and Derek let him talk as long as he could listen.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                “Do you really have to go?” Isaac whimpered at Scott the next morning, and Scott looked about ready to cry.

                “Isaac, you know I have to. But me and Stiles, we’re going to visit all the time when we can spare it. Besides, you have my number, and I gave Lydia Stiles’ number, and I’m sure Derek will have it too for when you can’t reach my phone.” Scott replied, and Stiles smiled as Scott hugged Isaac tightly.

                They were all gathered on the front porch. Breakfast had been a sobering affair, everyone somber and less cheery than they had been. Derek had been silent all morning, kissing Stiles as often as he could, touching him as much as he could, almost as if he needed to cover Stiles in his scent. Stiles was the same way, hiding one of his tee-shirts underneath Derek’s pillow. He was sure to find it later. Stiles had secretly also stolen one of Derek’s dousing it in his cologne before stuffing it into his duffle bag.

                Stiles had just finished packing up the jeep, Derek filling it with gas from a canister that he’d had saved up for the Camaro. It would be enough to get them back. Now, at least, they had directions. Lydia had looked it up.

                “You’ll come back, right? To visit?” Laura asked, holding onto Stiles tightly. “Derek is going to crumble without you. You need to come back. You’re now enslaved.”

                “I promise you, I’ll come back. I know, I’ll feel the same without him. I promise.” Stiles nodded, and Laura stepped out of the way. Hugs were shared, and Isaac and Scott were liplocked for just a bit longer than anyone would have liked to see.

                “God, I hate that you’re going.” Derek mumbled into Stiles’ ear, unwilling to let go of him.

                “Same. But I promised everyone, I’ll come back. I’ll miss you too much.” Stiles smiled, his eyes watery.

                “You better. Erica doesn’t muck out the stalls as nice as you do.” Derek joked, and kissed Stiles passionately on the lips just one more time. “Now get out of here, before you don’t make it home and have to stay at someone else’s farm.”

                Stiles smiled, and got into the driver’s seat. Boyd and Jackson both had to pull Scott and Isaac away from each other to separate them, pushing Scott lovingly towards the jeep. Starting up the old thing, Stiles waved out the window, and then pulled out onto the long driveway. He could still see everyone behind them, Scott waving crazily out the window.

                “Dude, I think this was our best idea ever. No serial killers in sight.” Scott said, finally turning around when his arm grew tired.

                “Totally our best idea ever.”

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

                It’d been a week since the farm. Stiles and Derek talked almost every night on the phone, only after Derek’s daily chores were done.  Stiles slept with Derek’s shirt every night, and laughed when Derek told him about how he’d reacted when he’d found Stiles’. It was bitter sweet. Stiles missed Derek, he missed him a lot. Even though they’d only spent some short time together, and the beginning had been rough, it was well worth it in the end. But Stiles wanted Derek there with him. It wasn’t the same hearing about Cora’s pranks, or Erica and Boyd’s discretions out in the cherry shack.

                Scott was inconsolable. Stiles felt bad for him. He’d never seen him so attached to one person before, and he’d been there throughout Scott’s “high school sweetheart” phases. He’d poured himself into studying, at Isaac’s request so he wouldn’t fall behind, and they talked a lot more than Stiles did with Derek. But Scott was always the type of guy to fall hard. And from what Derek told him, Isaac was just the same.

                At least Stiles was distracted in class.

                “Hey, we’re still on for studying at your place right?” Heidi, Stiles’ general psych class study partner asked, packing her stuff away after class.

                “Yeah, the exam coming up is going to kick my butt.” Stiles replied, slinging his bookbag around his shoulder. He’d hardly paid any attention to the lecture that day, Derek spinning tales of how much he’d wanted Stiles the night before still ringing in his ears.

                The two left the classroom and walked towards Stiles’ building. He knew Scott wouldn’t be back for a while, so he and Heidi could at least get some decent studying in before he came back to depress the place. When Stiles grabbed his keys to the door, he noticed the light on inside his room. Go figure, Scott would leave the light on after he left- his head wasn’t in the right place these days.

                When Stiles opened the door, his breath caught in his throat.

                “Woah, who is that, and does he have any brothers?” Heidi asked behind him.

                Derek, standing in his best jeans and shirt stood in the middle of Stiles’ room.

                “You have no idea how much sweet talking I had to pull with your desk clerk downstairs to get up here, Stiles.” Derek said, and Stiles threw off his bookbag and leapt into Derek’s arms. The hug was bone crushing and perfect. Stiles’ eyes began to tear up in joy.

                “Uh… I’ll just go now. See you later Stiles, Stiles’ hot boyfriend!” Heidi called, and walked away from the doorway.

                “What are you doing here?!” Stiles exclaimed, pulling back.

                “I missed you. God, did I miss you. And I figured I would make good on my promise. I know it’s only been a week, but I do want to cuddle you while you read, all that stuff I said I would do. I know it’s only for tonight this time maybe, but I want this for as long as you’ll have me.” Derek said, and smiled at Stiles.

                Stiles’ only response was to launch himself at Derek once more, kissing and running his hands through his hair.

                Best. Decision. Ever.


End file.
